


Azula Can't Lie

by Josh Spicer (joshspicer)



Series: What If? [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Azula Can't Lie, Gen, What-If
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:08:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22246105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshspicer/pseuds/Josh%20Spicer
Summary: What if a sudden change in Azula forced her into a situation where she was unable to tell a lie? How much would change if Azula never once told a lie?Hello to all. I am your humble host. My job is to present to you a slight change in the history you know. Is it something so innocuous and irrelevant or something life-changing and unbelievable? How much can twist from one little change? Let us read, and hopefully inspire you to to write or add on to this universe.
Relationships: Azula & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: What If? [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1529810
Comments: 2
Kudos: 75





	Azula Can't Lie

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender and all of that.

She’s only been in the world for a year when She begins to bubble out letters that vaguely resemble words. She doesn’t remember what her first ones were though. Nobody does. Not her father. Not her mother. Certainly not her brother who is barely that much older than She is.

It takes her three years to begin to show signs that her inner fire is as strong as Agni’s chosen are destined to be.

A year later and She’s bending fire as cold as her patriarch.

During these many years, She often finds herself acknowledging that she is a Princess. She acknowledges that their royal lineage is one that very few in this universe ever obtain. She is lucky.

Luck is a constant factor for the Princess. It has been with her since she came into this world. Many would say she was blessed by Agni himself.

Others say she was gifted with her father’s ability to succeed.

Those who know the Princess the most acknowledge that she is near perfection, even as young as five years old. However, she is _not_ perfect. Such a thing is impossible for any mortal creature, even somebody possibly blessed by a spirit itself.

Those who know the Princess are aware of the one fatal flaw that she has. Nobody is aware of how this came to be. At her father’s insistence, the Fire Sages researched for months, trying to figure out how this flaw came to exist in someone supposedly blessed by Agni.

No answer was found.

The Fire Sages were spared when all attempts her father made to have them taken by Koh failed.

You see, it is often regarded that the Princess is a known master of deception, among her numerous traits and quirks which make her a formidable opponent and a prodigy of the highest order.

Her fatal flaw is simple.

In the original timeline, Azula always lies.

In this timeline, Azula _can’t_ lie.

* * *

The Princess originally discovered this flaw when she was having dinner with her family. It’s a rare feat and one that they often take for granted due to their father’s rare appearances.

They’re having roast of an animal that the Princess has never heard of. Despite being intelligent for her age, the Princess is still only six years old, and learning the ins and outs of animals was never something that interested her.

Her mother asks the question.

“Azula, are you looking forward to attending the Royal Academy?”

It’s an easy question, but for the Princess it’s one that has been repeated quite often.

“I still don’t understand why you insist she joins. She can learn everything she needs from within the palace walls,” her father says.

Her mother makes a face. Her lips crinkle together, zig-zagging while glancing over towards him. She is still turned towards the Princess.

“It makes sense father,” she says.

Wait, no. This was not her intention. She is a good daughter. She is to agree with her father on everything. She begins to speak once more.

“I can learn how to properly speak to those lesser and interact with older children my age,” she says.

No! Stop it! Why is the mouth disobeying what the mind thinks? What kind of magic is this?

She makes her frustration visible. With a small groan, she tries once more to reveal her true thoughts.

“I…d-d-d…” she tries to force the words out.

Her brother looks concerned which is never a good thing to see. Even her mother seems worried.

The only one that she remembers is her father’s sneer.

“I…a…gree…with mother,” she spits the words out.

The Princess stares at her unfinished plate. Her father continues to sneer at her, but otherwise says nothing.

Her mother is conflicted between trying to check on her daughter or smiling at what had just happened.

Her brother has no qualms about speaking during this tense moment.

“La La, are you okay?” he asks.

“Silence, boy,” her father says.

The Prince is quick to oblige.

“Azula…what is the matter?” her father asks.

Many would take this question as a father worrying for her daughter’s state.

Those who know Ozai understand how thin the proverbial ice his daughter is treading.

“Father, there is n…no…noth—” she can not finish her denial of any wrongdoing. “Father it appears that I can not fully speak.”

Her father narrows his eyes. Her mother attempts to check on her daughter, but a hand raised by the man at the head of table stops her.

“Azula…when we last went to Ember Island, we were told by one of the servants that the lifeguard’s tower was burned in a freak accident and that we had to leave for the day. Tell me…who burned down the tower?” he asks.

“I didn—” she once again cuts herself off. “It was Z—”

Her brother senses something is amiss. He may not fully understand what is happening but is smart enough and knows his _sister_ enough to be able to read the situation.

“It was me, Father,” her brother says.

“I told you to be silent. I do not condone your lies, boy, and I will not have you tell them to my face,” her father says.

Her brother lowers his head.

“Azula…who burned down the tower?” her father asks with a tone of finality.

“It was…me…father,” the Princess manages to speak out. “The other kids thought it would be funny to pick on the lifeguard, so I came up with the plan to burn down his watchtower.”

“Azula!” her mother shrieks.

The Princess is excused from dinner.

Later that night, her father takes her to see the Fire Sages.

When she returns the following morning, the Princess confides in the Prince.

Only a few years remain in the raw and open familial love they have for the other. They take that time to share nearly every secret they hold.

After all, it is only fair. As her brother, he _feels_ it is only fair.

If the Princess _can’t_ lie, then the Prince will allow himself that same burden.

Years later, this decision hinders him. It makes him forgo the ability to tell a convincing falsehood ever again.

To him, it was only another wasted sacrifice he made for his sister.

* * *

“Watch this,” the princess whispers to her friend.

She is ten when her and her friends are playing in the Fire Palace’s courtyard. Her mother and brother are walking side-by-side towards them.

They are always like this. Together. Without her.

The Princess might hold some level of ill-will towards her mother, but unfortunately this is something that is not shared with her brother.

The Princess glances over and sees her other friend sitting alone underneath one of the trees. Her other friend is glancing towards her brother, a shade of red forming on her cheeks.

Her often bubbly friend giggles quietly as the Princess approaches her mother and brother.

“Mom, can you make Zuko play with us? We want to play a game and we need equal teams to do so,” she says.

Her brother scrunches his face, glancing at her sister.

“I am _not_ cart-wheeling,” he says.

The Princess frowns, folding her arms in front of her.

“You won’t have to. Cart-wheeling’s not a game,” she says.

Under her breath, she quietly adds.

“Dumb dumb…”

One soaked brother and fervently embarrassed-but-no-longer-brooding-alone-and-also-soaked friend later and her mother returns to them brandishing a letter.

“Uncle Iroh sent us a letter from the war front,” she says.

Her uncle, per her expectations of the man, gives Zu Zu a dagger.

It’s a nice dagger. A _really_ nice dagger. Given how nice she really thinks it is, she refrains from trying to express any negative thoughts on it.

But the Princess? She gets a doll. An Earth Kingdom doll at that.

She sneers at the accursed thing. Disgusting. Who does Uncle think he is? Giving her something like this.

As if anything of hers would ever be wearing anything of a different nation. Pitiful. Disgraceful.

“What do you think of her Azula? She’s pretty cute, isn’t she?” her mother asks.

Oh joy. One of _those_ questions. The Princess has realized that both of her parents have found a way to expose her flaw. If she can’t lie about something, they will ask her a question to try and acknowledge that’s what she’s attempting to do. It’s a trap she tries not to fall in.

It’s easier to do it with Mother and get away with it.

She’s only done it once with Father.

Never again. Always keep your guard up. Never expose any weaknesses. The Princess takes these lessons to heart, especially given how they will make her look.

She isn’t her brother, after all.

Instead of answering her mother, the Princess responds with a question.

“If Uncle doesn't make it back from war, then dad would be next in line to be Fire Lord, wouldn't he?”

Her mother frowns, her eyes darkening.

It’s _that_ look.

Zuko stops idly swinging his new dagger enough to focus on the conversation.

“Azula, we don't speak that way. It would be awful if Uncle Iroh didn't return. And besides, Fire Lord Azulon is a picture of health,” her mother says.

And everybody knows _that’s_ a lie, though when _that_ look is on her mother’s face, the Princess is smart enough to not speak her mind freely.

“Yeah, come on La La. How would you like it if Cousin Lu Ten wanted dad to die?” her brother asks.

The Princess locks eyes with her brother.

The two of them share a moment of remembering conversations long past.

_“I am afraid of when Father gets angry,” she would say._

_“Me too,” he would respond._

_A part of me wishes Father would never take the throne. That way our expectations would be lower,” she would later say._

_"Sometimes I wish I was Uncle’s son for the same reasons,” he would offer._

These are the only moments that the Princess truly holds disdain for her brother. It’s something that they share together, but she comes to regret. It’s the only thing neither of them forget, especially when in the presence of the other.

She doesn’t respond to the question. They both know the answer anyway.

When the Earth Kingdom doll is ashes on the ground and her mother is reprimanding her, she doesn’t forget the apologies in her brother’s eyes.

She doesn’t forgive his mistake.

She learns to never forgive ever again.

* * *

Years later still, her grandfather orders his grandson to be killed by her father.

It’s a mess. It’s not something either of them wished to hear, but that alone is punishment enough for trying to eavesdrop on a private conversation between the Fire Lord and Royal Prince.

The Princess enters her brother’s chambers. He’s sitting up in his bed, holding his knees and staring at nothing.

As she approaches, he does not look at her. They both know that secrets of the past would once again be remembered.

“Dad’s going to kill you,” she says to break the silence.

He looks up and they match eyes.

_“I wish I was born to a different family so I wouldn’t have Father watching over me,” he would say._

_“Sometimes I wish I was dead so I could reincarnate as some Earth Kingdom peasant,” she would respond._

“Really…he is,” she says.

There is no mirth in the truths. They both that’s exactly what they are.

After all, Azula can’t lie.

“Liar,” her brother tries.

The tears start to form, and by that point, Azula is already sitting on his bed, watching him start to shed tears like last night’s rain.

It’s always Zu Zu who is crying. And he’s part of Agni’s chosen bloodline? Pish posh.

Nonetheless, the sadness her brother can easily present is still felt by the Princess, just not as physically as he.

“That’s funny,” she says with no shred of laughter or happiness.

He starts to wipe his tears, but it does little to stop them from coming.

This is not what the Princess wants. As far apart as they’ve grown, they both know there’s moments that neither can forget. She needs him. Not as much as he needs her, but she keeps the most important truth to herself.

She _wants_ him by her side. She _wants_ her brother to be with her always.

“I heard everything,” she mutters. “Grandfather said Dad's punishment should fit his crime.”

Her voice gets a little bit deeper and adds a bit of gravel to the voice.

“You must know the pain of losing a first-born son, by sacrificing your own,” she says, imitating her Grandfather.

The Princess lets the remnants of a smirk show on her face, but it disappears after looking at her brother.

 _Truly_ looking at her brother.

A large part of her wants to watch him fail. A smaller part of her wants him to stay with her forever. The smallest, most selfish part of her wants him to die.

She buries that part as deep as possible and lets the larger part take over.

“La La,” her brother says.

The Princess does not answer.

“Do you want Dad to kill me?”

Her eyes widen.

That larger part of her wishes to respond, but her mouth refuses to cooperate. She avoids spitting her nonsense or mumbling, as was taught to her by her father and the accursed Fire Sages.  
  
She avoids letting him know that she would die for him.

She avoids letting him know that every waking moment they talk about this, the potential for it happening becomes a reality.

She avoids answering.

The smile that shines through Zu Zu’s tears makes that large part of her shrink.

“Thank you for coming to see me La La,” he says.

“Dumb dumb…” she says.

Her eyes shine from the moonlight coming in from the window. Before she can say any further, the door opens.

It’s her mother.

* * *

“Mom! Mom! Where are you?” her brother calls.

The Princess steps out from behind a pillar. She meets her brother head-on, cutting him off as he was rushing through the halls of the palace.

She is carrying his dagger. The _really nice_ dagger.

“Where’s…Mom?” her brother asks through his tired breath.

The princess flicks the knife around a couple times before jabbing it point first into the pillar.

“I don’t know,” she says.

The smirk returns home to her face. It seems to be there a lot more often, especially when either sibling is in public or when faced with their father.

“Oh, and last night, Grandpa passed away,” she adds.

The look that her brother reveals will forever be etched in her memory alongside the ones they shared in the past.

_“Grandpa scares me…but Father scares me more,” she says._

_“I don’t like Father. Sometimes…I think I even hate him,” he would say back._

Her brother grabs the knife, pulling it out of the pillar, leaving splinters to fall to the floor.

“You know I’m telling the truth,” she sings.

Her brother turns and runs towards the only solace he might have. The one place her brother and mother always held dear to each other.

When he arrives, he only finds the person he doesn’t like, and maybe even sometimes hate.

* * *

When she is fourteen, the Princess witnesses her brother’s first Agni Kai.

With a smile on her face, she watches him enter. Behind her, she senses Uncle joining her. Given the situation she isn’t too surprised when a scowl rests on his face.

That puts a damper on things.

Nonetheless, she is looking forward to this. Despite her brother’s idiocy, he isn’t a bad firebender. Not on _her_ level, of course not, but to say he isn’t adept would be moronic. Zu Zu is very good at surviving despite the odds.

You’re not lucky to be born without having a knack for it, after all.

A part of her honestly believes that he can win this match and they can put this whole thing behind them.

A small part of her hopes he loses just to have one more thing to lord over him.

The smallest part of her hopes he loses in the only way that’s final.

When her brother enters the arena and receives the Agni Kai rings, she notices how far he’s come. He’s become stronger and smarter. Where was once baby fat and thin arms now contain the remnants of what will become muscle; pure, defined muscle.

However, unlike the Princess, he hasn’t grasped the concepts of the court nor the means to gain power like she has. He’s always been their mother’s and their uncle’s favorites. Azula’s done perfectly fine as their father’s. Look where they are now?

One of them is on the sidelines with a smile on their face while the other is kneeling with their back to their opponent, ready to fight.

As she glances over at the pompous, stupid general who her brother deigned fit to disrespect, her smile starts to gro—

The smile stops growing but doesn’t retreat. Her lips twitch as she finds her eyes hitting her father’s spine.

_No._

No no no.

This isn’t right.

This isn’t how it’s supposed to go.

But she’s a good daughter. So she doesn’t say anything.

But she wants her brother to always be by her side, so her lips twitch.

It takes all of her tremendous willpower not to speak, not to shout, not to curse her father and the Fire Lord and Agni’s chosen.

Things only get worse when the two opponents face each other.

Fight, Zuko. The match has started.

Why aren’t you fighting? Stand your ground!

Stop begging! Don’t you see? You’re only making it worse!

Fight!

“You will fight for your honor,” her father says.

Do something! Zuko!

“I meant you no disrespect. I am your loyal son,” her brother says.

You’re smarter than this, Zuko! Stop begging for forgiveness! Don’t you know that leads to nowhere?

But he doesn’t know. Because the Princess never let her true feelings known if it wasn’t to her own benefit. Not since their secret-sharing from ages ago.

“Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!” her father orders.

“I won't fight you,” her brother says.

Zuko!

No you dumb dumb!

But there is nothing she can do.

No. That is a lie she tells herself in her head.

There is nothing she _does_.

“You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.”

When the flame in her father’s hand meets the face of her brother, her smile grows.

Her Uncle looks away.

She refuses to. _This_ is what she has done. Her failure to lie has caused her brother to become _weak_. He could’ve been better than all of them, but here he is getting his face branded by their father.

And all she does is watch.

_“I wish we could never be apart,” she says._

_“Promise me,” he responds._

_“I…” she starts._

_“La La, please,” he begs._

_“……I promise I will always look out for you Zu Zu.”_

* * *

The Princess was requested by the Fire Lord. She would be a fool to deny him this.

As she kneels in front of him, the flames roaring behind, silhouetting his presence, she looks towards the floor.

“Iroh is a traitor…”

Lies.

“…and your brother Zuko is a failure…”

More lies.

“I have a task for you…”

The Princess looks up, watching her father’s face but never quite meeting his eyes. Nobody can ever meet her eyes. Only one person is worthy of the honor.

Honor.

A cursed word spoken by those who lack it to put down those who have more of it than they ever will.

Word spread of the Northern Siege. Zhao’s failure, her uncle’s escape, her brother’s failure.

Everything came down to that failure. All that remains for her father’s plan to succeed is the Princess.

She lets the smirk on her lips spread.

She’s being sent out to stop the Avatar, but if anybody asked her what her mission was, she wouldn’t be able to tell them that.

For it would be a lie.

And in _this_ timeline, Azula _can’t_ lie.

No. In _this_ timeline, she has a promise to keep.

**Author's Note:**

> Unlike the last journey into a universe, this one is being made with the intention of further trips. I am suspecting at least two more trips into the universe.
> 
> That isn't to say you, the reader, can not still take this universe and make it your own. I always encourage any readers to steal any plot ideas I might present and give more of a story than I ever will.
> 
> Until next time. I bid you a farewell, and a hope that you will continue your own stories where the spaces of mine are left to wander.


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